Some terms will be defined herein for a better understanding of the invention.
The treatment of the emotional condition here means actions aimed at changing the emotional condition of an individual, in particular, any curative steps. A sagittal plane of the eye is the plane in which the optic axis of the eye is situated which divides the eye lengthwise into the righthand and lefthand halves.
Chemical therapeutical drugs are now used for the treatment of the emotional condition of an individual which are prescribed mainly taking into account the modality and intensity of affective manifestations and, to a much lower degree, taking into account their structure and neurobiological organization (G. Ya. Avrutsky et al. Manual of Physicians. 1981. Meditsina Publishers. Moscow. p.496).
It is known that pathomorphism of the clinical picture of effective disorders occurs at present which, apart from the influence of various social and cultural factors, is the consequence of a wide use of a large number of tranquilizers and antidepressants both in the practice of outpatient clinics and as self-treatment (G. Ya. Avrutsky et al. Pharmacotherapy of Psychic Diseases. 1974. Meditsina Publishers. Moscow. p.154). The same authors believe that a wide use of psychotropic drugs in view of a weakening vitality of endogenic depressions, a decrease in their deepness and transformation of typical phases into superficial forms provides conditions for the appearance of indistinct and superficial depressions resistant to psychopharmacotherapy.
The reduction of the duration of a "fit" of depression under the effect of antidepressants results in a shorter term of remission so that not unfrequently the overall duration of a sickly condition (with a periodical occurrence of a psychosis) remains the same as it was before treatment with antidepressants. In other cases a more easy occurrence of a fit under the favourable effect of antidepressants may result in a more prolonged course of the disease (P. V. Birjukovich et al. Pharmacological Fundamentals of the Antidepressive Effect. 1970. Leningrad. pp. 61-65; P. V. Birjukovich et al. Circular Depression. 1979. Naukova Dumka Publishers. Kiev. p. 324).
Known in the art are methods for treating affective disorders which make it possible to take into account structure and neurobiological organization of the affective disorders. Such methods include methods of lateral physiotherapy carried out by acting with stimuli of various modality and intensity selectively upon the right and left hemispheres of the brain depending on prevalence of manifestations of the right or left hemispherical disorders (N. I. Bragina et al. Functional Asymmetries in a Human Being. 1988. Meditsina Publishers. Moscow. pp. 195-203).
Known in the art is a method for treating depressions (SU, A, 725671), comprising, in order to cut down prolonged and hardly curable depressions, examining the sensory excitability of the hands and acting with electric pulses with a voltage 2-3 times as low as the sensitivity threshold and with a pulse repetition rate from 10 to 100 Hz. The electrodes are applied to one hand: the anode being applied to the palm of hand and the cathode to the lower third of the forearm. In case of emotional disorders characterized by prevalence of anxiety, obsession, fear, inclination to suicide the treatment is made on the left side, and in case of prevalence of anguish, inhibition, flabbiness and apathy the treatment is made on the right side. The treatment lasts for 2 to 10 minutes with intervals of 3 to 7 days and, after the treatment course is completed, the treatment is repeated once every 3 to 4 months once or twice to prevent the relapse of depressions.
However, there are counterindications to the use of such a method, e.g. various cardiovascular diseases, foci of chronic infections; the prior art method is relatively counterindicative in case of diseases of rightside pair and non-pair organs and systems and hypertensive disease. The sensitivity threshold mainly depends on the electrical conductance properties of the skin and it may undergo substantial changes during the period of treatment action and can vary strongly in certain cases when determined in one and the same individual depending on the emotional condition and a number of subjective factors (e.g. a fear of an eventually painful treatment connected with earlier electric injuries or direct contact with electric current or, on the contrary, a certain bravado of an individual who tries to prove that he is really "the man"). This prior art method is used for a limited range of psychiatric patients under observation of medical personnel because of a danger of overdosage of the treatment action and related eventual side effects and complications. For this reason, this method is not used for the treatment of patients with neuroses, in the sexopathology, for the treatment and correction of superficial affective disorders in patients with borderline neuro-psychic disorders and also in practically healthy people involved in an emotionally intensive activity and persons with psychosomatic disorders. The prior art method does not allow treatment to be carried out with the simultaneous action upon the right and left hemispheres of the brain individually with different stimuli, and it does not make it possible to act upon the retina of the human eye with an optical radiation.
Known in the art is an apparatus comprising a pulse generator and electrodes (anode and cathode) connected to the pulse generator for carrying out the method (Electronic Pulse Stimulator. Description. 1973. Reklama Publishers. Kiev. pp. 3-5).
Also known in the art is a method for treating depressions (SU, A, 1274693), comprising, in order to accelerate the achievement of the therapeutical result, positioning electrodes unilaterally: the anode being positioned on the occipital-mastoidal region (behind the ear) and the cathode being positioned on the frontal region, determining the sensory threshold by increasing current intensity judging by the first sensation of current on the information from the individual, and stimulating the right or the left hemisphere of the brain with electric current with a pulse repetition rate ranging from 1 to 100 Hz during 7 to 15 minutes once every 2-3 days (8-10 times altogether), the treatment action being applied on the right side with emotional disorders characterized by prevalence of anxiety and the treatment action being applied on the left side with prevalence of anguish and apathy.
However, various cardiovascular diseases and foci of chronic infections are counterindications to this method. This prior art method does not allow the action to be applied simultaneously with different stimuli individually to the right and left hemispheres of the brain, nor does it allow the retina of the human eyes to be acted upon with an optical radiation.
Known in the art is an apparatus for carrying out the prior art method having electrodes (anode and cathode) (Electronic Pulse Stimulator. Description. 1973. Reklama Publishers, Kiev. pp. 3-5).
The prior art apparatus does not allow a treatment action to be applied simultaneously with different stimuli individually to the right and left hemispheres of the brain, nor does it allow the retina of the human eyes to be acted upon by an optical radiation.
Known in the art is a method for treating sexual disorders (SU,A, 1362483), comprising, in order to increase the number of frictions, positioning electrodes on the anterior and posterior surfaces of the metatarsal-tarsal articulation of the left foot, determining at the beginning of the stimulation the sensory excitability of the skin, and acting with electric current with a frequency ranging from 110 to 120 Hz and with a voltage 4-6 times as low as the sensitivity threshold during 2 to 3 minutes maximum 7 times.
However, as the treatment action is only addressed to the region of the right paracentral lobe, it would generally affect the functions of the urogenital system and has an antianxiety effect, provided the procedure is correct, but it cannot be used for the treatment of affective disorders in psychic patients and for treating the emotional conditions in practically healthy persons involving as the core condition such conditions as, e.g. anguish, apathy, inhibition, fear, perplexity, hypochondria, derealization, depersonalization or pathological symptoms (syndromes) connected with an increase in the level of functioning of morphofunctional systems of subdominant hemisphere of the brain with respect to symmetrical systems of the dominant hemisphere of the brain.
This prior art method does not make it possible to apply the treatment action individually to the right and left hemispheres of the brain simultaneously with different stimuli and does not allow the retina of the human eyes to be acted upon by an optical radiation.
Known in the art is an apparatus for carrying out the prior art method, comprising a pulse generator and electrodes. However, the prior art apparatus does not allow the treatment action to be applied individually to the right and left hemispheres of the brain simultaneously with different stimuli, nor does it allow the retina of the human eyes to be acted upon by an optical radiation.
The prior art methods and apparatuses (SU, A, 1303168; 1389774; 852336) make use of selective subsensory electrical stimulations of zones of the brain which contribute to the destruction of pathologically stable interhemispherical relations and to the formation of an alternative dominant activity determining to a large extent the condition of an individual and lasting for a long time.
With the use of the methods and apparatuses for lateral physiotherapy, there are counterindications to their use in patients with foci of chronic infections, hypertensive disease, and such treatment may give rise to side effects and complications because of inaccurate determination of intensity, dose and side of application and also because of unskilled definition of the psychic status of an individual. The prior art methods and apparatuses for lateral physiotherapy do not allow the right and left hemispheres of the brain to be acted upon individually simultaneously with different stimuli, nor do they allow the retina of the human eyes to be acted upon with a light flux.
Known in the art is a method for treating the emotional condition of an individual in treating seasonal affective disorders (Brit. J. Psychiatry. Vol. 147.No.10,1985. USA.Bethesda, Md., S. P. James, T. A. Wehr, P. A. Sack, B. T. Parry, N. E. Rosenthal. Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder with Light in the Evening. pp. 424-428), comprising acting with an optical radiation upon the retina of the eyes of an individual. The optical radiation is produced by a lamp positioned at a distance of 90 to 95 cm from the individual providing a light flux of 500 lx. The treatment action is applied daily during one week within the period from 18.00 to 23.00 or from 7.00 to 12.00 hours depending on the habitual sleep pattern of the individual until the affective disorders are cut off.
The prior art method is not, however, effective in treating prolonged and weak psychogenic depressions and hypomanias, and it does not allow the right and left hemispheres of the brain to be acted upon individually simultaneously with different stimuli.
Known in the art is an apparatus for treating the emotional condition of an individual (Handbook of Photography. 1986. Tekhnika Publishers, Kiev; A. S. Gurlev. Arc Mercury Luminescent Lamps. p.72) comprising a mercury lamp placed in a glass bulb internally coated with a phosphor. The lamp is connected to an a.c. power supply at 115 V, with the current intensity of 0.8A. The lamp produces the light flux of 3400 lm.
The prior art apparatus does not allow the right and left hemispheres of the brain to be acted upon individually simultaneously with different stimuli.